


Beginnings

by Entwinedlove



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Gen, Gossip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 11:03:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19766860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Entwinedlove/pseuds/Entwinedlove
Summary: Natasha may have a few Hufflepuff traits. Lily definitely has a few Slytherin ones. It's the beginning of a beautiful friendship.





	Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SinginInTheRaine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinginInTheRaine/gifts).



Fourth Year, Care of Magical Creatures, 1974

Natasha was holed up in a tree at the edge of the Forbidden Forest waiting for Professor Kettleburn's class to start. The professor was late. He'd probably show up with something bandaged, maybe another finger missing or some burns. He was either the most accident-prone wizard she'd ever seen, or he was cursed, Natasha couldn't decide.

From her vantage point, she could see the group of Gryffindor bullies start in on their favorite pincushion, the ever-prickly Severus Snape, fellow Slytherin. She almost felt bad for him, except he was rude to practically everyone. He always tried to retaliate like a damn Gryffindor too, head-on, hot-headed, and solo. If he could stop being a git long enough to ask for help from his housemates in green, the Gryffindors wouldn't stand a chance. As it was, she was fine watching him take the brunt of their bullying, otherwise, they might notice _her_. She knew the Gryffindor Black knew her, they'd grown up in the same circles. As it was, though, they were content to pick on the lower class boy and not the weird Slytherin girl who hung out with Hufflepuffs.

A girl with bright red hair, matching Natasha's in intensity, moved around the mass of students to get a better view of who the bullies were after now. When she saw that it was her secret friend Snape, the girl visibly puffed up her chest like she was about to stand up for him.

Natasha shook her head, knowing how this would play out. Instead of letting the weekly occurrence repeat itself, she grabbed a handful of acorns from the branch she was sitting astride and tossed them one at a time down at the other ginger.

When the fourth acorn cracked Evans in the crown, she turned at looked up at the source with her wand drawn. Natasha glanced at the length of wood with absolutely no worry whatsoever then dropped from her perch. She landed lightly on her feet beside Evans, who was still frowning angrily.

"You realize he gets picked on worse when you intervene, don't you?" Natasha said, gesturing with the tip of her chin to where the four-against-one kerfuffle was going on.

"But no one else stands up for him! Other Slytherins just tuck tail and run."

"He would have backup if he just asked for it."

"Wha...what?" Evans's angry eyebrows wrinkled up. "What do you mean?" She paused like she just realized who she was talking to. "You're a Slytherin, aren't you?"

Natasha nodded. "Romanov. And you're Evans the Gryffindor. What I mean is, Slytherins protect their own, as long as we don't try it on our own like hot-headed Gryffindors. Your friend should have got the Sorting Hat to resort him when it called out the House of Snakes. The only thing Slytherin about him is his forked tongue."

Evans let out an involuntary little giggle, nodding. "So is it just because I'm a Gryffindor that he gets picked on?"

"Nah," Natasha said, shaking her head. "It's because you're a girl and boys the world over don't think highly of girls."

Evans scoffed like the statement of fact was offensive.

Natasha shrugged. "Blame their fathers."

"What do we do instead then?" Evans asked. She crossed her arms and looked in the direction of the boys. Snape got one offensive spell off just as an upper form Gryffindor prefect came into the clearing. He was reprimanded, but the Gryffindors weren't.

"Team up. Strike from the shadows. Hard and fast, so the bullies don't know what hit them."

The prefect spoke up, addressing the whole class. "Professor Kettleburn won't be attending class and has instructed from the Hospital Wing that you should take this time to study for your next class. He'll see you next time."

"You're a Slytherin. Why are you helping me?" Evans asked as she gathered up her school bag. She hung back as Natasha grabbed her own from the base of her tree, and they lingered near the back of the class of students as they headed back towards the castle.

Natasha shrugged again. "My best friends are Hufflepuffs. Maybe their steadfast attitudes about house unity and helping others rubbed off onto me." She offered the other girl a little smile.

Evans smiled back.

* . * . *

Hogsmeade Weekend before Valentines, 1978

"Hey, Lily! You in there?" Mary called from the door of the girl's lavatory.

"Be right out," Lily answered. She was nervous about her date to Hogsmeade. It would be their first "official" thing as a couple, and she wanted to look her best. She tucked her blush brush back into her makeup bag, gave herself a once-over in the mirror and—satisfied with what she saw—headed back out to the Seventh Year dorms.

Marlene whistled when she walked out, causing Mary to turn around from where she was chatting with Dorcas. "Oh, look at you," Mary said. "Did you finally say yes to Potter?"

Lily looked at her with confusion for a moment before answering, "What—no!"

"Well you wouldn't get that dressed up just to go buy parchment or sweets," Mary said. She fluffed the back of her cropped hair. "It's the last Valentine's of our Hogwarts' career, you've got to be going with someone."

"Oh, is it Bucky from Hufflepuff?" Dorcas asked, "I heard Clint's ditching him to take Fifth Year Laura Branham. He's dreamy!"

Marlene gave an unimpressed shrug with one shoulder as she looked at her girlfriend. "He's all right."

Mary tried to pin Lily with a searching look. "It's not that Slytherin, is it? Tell me you didn't."

Lily smiled to herself and shook her head. "It's not the Slytherin you think."

Marlene raised an eyebrow even as Mary's wrinkled in confusion. "You've been hooking up with Reggie Black in secret, haven't you?"

Dorcas rolled her eyes at Marlene and smiled at Lily. "Mar, you only think Reggie is attractive because you hooked up with Sirius last year."

"Eh, we all make mistakes sometimes," Marlene countered. "I figure the quiet one might be less self-absorbed."

"I'm getting out of this room before the conversation devolves any further," Lily said, grabbing her purse from her bed and heading towards the door.

"But you didn't tell us who you're going with!" Mary said as the door started to swing shut. Dorcas's laughter drowned out her whine.

Lily headed down the corridor and made a detour to one of the back staircases. It led down into the dungeons and came out right at the Slytherin dorm entrance. She approached just as the door was starting to slide open.

Natasha was standing there in a beautiful cashmere sweater that Lily had saved up for and bought her for Christmas. Her hair was braided intricately behind her head, and when she saw Lily she lit up. Though no one who didn't know her would consider the expression on her face "lit up," Lily knew her well and could see it. She knew her smirks and tiny smiles, the humor in her eyes and the way she laughed without making a sound. And the rare occasion, after too much whiskey in Lily's room at her house in Cokeworth, the sound of her snorted giggles. Lily smiled at her, her emotions written on her face.

"Did you get harangued by your dorm mates as well?" Lily asked her as Natasha stepped closer.

"Yeah. They're absolutely positive I'm going with Bucky."

Lily reached down and clasped Natasha's hand in hers as they started walking towards the staircase up to the Entrance Hall. "He's going with Peggy and Steve, isn't he?"

"Mmhm." As they walked out into the crisp spring sunshine past many of their fellow students, Natasha squeezed her fingers. Things were going to be just fine.


End file.
